Isobel Heyman

Isobel Heyman
MBE FRCPsych
EducationUCL Medical School
Scientific career
WorkplacesGreat Ormond Street Hospital
Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
University of Cambridge
Cambridge University Hospitals
ThesisMorphogenesis and differentiation of rhombomere boundaries (1995)

Isobel Heyman is a British psychiatrist and consultant in Cambridge and London. She is an Affiliated Professor at the University of Cambridge and a Professorial Fellow at Murray Edwards College. She serves as co-lead for the Cambridge Children's Hospital development project. She was named Royal College of Psychiatrists Psychiatrist of the Year in 2015.

Early life and education

Heyman first studied pharmacology, before training in medicine at the UCL Medical School. She trained in psychiatry at the Maudsley Hospital. She earned a doctorate in developmental neurobiology at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, where she investigated rhombomere boundaries. In 1995, she returned to the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, where she specialised in child and adolescent psychiatry.

Research and career

In 1998, Heyman founded the first United Kingdom clinic for young people with obsessive–compulsive disorder. She was involved with the Tourette syndrome clinic and the Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) epilepsy programme, where she pioneered research and clinical care for children with epilepsy who also had mental health needs.

One in five young people in the UK experience mental health disorders, and hospitals struggle with the demand for psychological services. In response, Heyman looked to provide young people already seeking medical care in hospital with a solution. The psychological medicine team she led at GOSH was recognised by the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services for "The Lucy Project", a drop-in mental health booth that provided accessible, low-intensity early interventions for young people and their families who were concerned about mental health. The booth was named after Lucille "Lucy" van Pelt, the character from Peanuts. The booth was named The BMJ's Mental Health Team of the Year Award in 2021.

Heyman is passionate about integrating children's mental and physical health services. She is committed to integration across these domains and to enhancing delivery of effective mental health treatments to children. She was made co-lead for the Cambridge Children's Hospital development project.

Awards and honours

Selected publications

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "GOSH Isobel Heyman".
  2. ↑ "Morphogenesis and differentiation of rhombomere boundaries | WorldCat.org". www.worldcat.org. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  3. ↑ Heyman, Isobel (3 August 2011). "Treating OCD • SEN Magazine". SEN Magazine. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  4. ↑ "About". Mind & Body London. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  5. ↑ "How one UK hospital used a cartoon character to boost mental health capacity". www.advisory.com. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  6. ↑ Catanzano, Matteo; Bennett, Sophie D; Tibber, Marc S; Coughtrey, Anna E; Liang, Holan; Heyman, Isobel; Shafran, Roz (18 May 2021). "A Mental Health Drop-In Centre Offering Brief Transdiagnostic Psychological Assessment and Treatment in a Paediatric Hospital Setting: A One-Year Descriptive Study". International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 18 (10): 5369. doi:10.3390/ijerph18105369. ISSN 1660-4601. PMC 8157880. PMID 34069973.
  7. ↑ "The Lucy Project lands mental health award". 12 November 2021.
  8. ↑ "The 2021 BMJ Awards Showcase | Watch our short minute videos". The BMJ Awards. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  9. ↑ "Award-winning mental health service is a "game-changer", say psychologists". BPS. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  10. ↑ "Sharing the Cambridge Children's Hospital vision with international audiences". Cambridge Children's. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  11. ↑ Neville, Sarah (12 January 2025). "New UK children's hospital seeks to combat stigma around mental illness". www.ft.com. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  12. ↑ "Spotlight on Staff: Isobel Heyman". Cambridge Children's. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  13. ↑ Naish, John. "Britain's top children's doctors 2012". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  14. ↑ "Roll of Honour 2022" (PDF).
  15. ↑ "New Year MBE for services to child mental health". Cambridge University Hospitals. Retrieved 31 December 2022.